Barring a freak of nature, science or some dodgy foie gras, nothing has been as certain in the previous 79 French championships staged at Stade Roland Garros that the 80th, which starts tomorrow, will be won by Rafael Nadal. Looking down the list of his prospective opponents, the same question delivered the same answer. Could such-and-such beat him? Not unless armed with a machete rather than a racket.

No one has taken the Spaniard to five sets in 21 matches on the red clay here, his blisters are a thing of the past and he was relaxation personified at the opening ceremony yesterday as he presided over the women's draw - a role taken up by Ana Ivanovic, last year's runner-up, who drew the seeds for the men's championship. Nadal even winked at her when she picked out the chip bearing No3, Novak Djokovic, in his half.

The rest are playing for second and the biggest thing going for Roger Federer is that he is placed in the opposite half and knows that he cannot meet Nadal until the final, two weeks tomorrow. Andy Murray would get his shot in the quarter-finals, but for the British No1 to extend his stay beyond the five days he will have needed to defeat José Acasuso, an Argentinian at home with red dust on his socks, in the second round and Nicolas Almagro, a Spaniard who has won 25 of his 30 matches on clay this year (Nadal has a 15-1 win-loss record), in the third.

That is assuming that Murray can get off the mark - he has played the French Open once, in 2006, and lost in the first round to Gaël Monfils, when he was the future of French tennis. That label is now attached to Jonathan Eysseric, a left-hander who turns 18 next week. He was the runner-up in the Australian Open boys' championship in 2007, but has no form at this rarefied level and is in the tournament on a wild card.

All Murray can do is worry about his game and attitude being spot on and hope that he has thrown off the fever troubling him and his coterie yesterday. Twice a finalist at Roland Garros, Alex Corretja, the Spaniard, was called upon a month ago to steer Murray through the clay's peaks and troughs. He has been with Murray from Monte Carlo, via Rome to Hamburg and will return to Spanish television duties here with an enhanced consideration of the Briton's prospects.

“We have had to be very humble, just going step by step,” Corretja said. “Each match for Andy has helped a lot, he has won a few, he realises he can play on this stuff - he can really play. If I could play on grass [Corretja once beat Pete Sampras in a Davis Cup tie in the United States on grass] and I was much less talented than him, imagine if he cannot play on clay.

“Clay gives you a lot of time, but you need to be out there 2 hours every day. If you accept that, you are able to win on clay. If you don't want to accept that, you will struggle. That's the point. Here, you're not going to make 25 aces or 25 winners. Sometimes, even if Andy hits five good shots, the guy gets there and reaches a big high lob and you miss the overhead, you feel so disappointed. On hard courts maybe you hit one, two, three, winner. Here you need to win the point 20 times. It's the main strength with Rafa. He makes you play 50 balls each point. Every ball you need to hit 20 winners and even then maybe he reaches the ball again.

“Sometimes the Spanish guys or the South Americans, they just play a regular game, very solid, but they don't show anything else than just playing top spin and run. Andy can mix it very well, he can play aggressive, he can play defensive, he moves well. He can play drop shots. But he has to control himself as well because if you play with the stress, you get nerves, you get upset with yourself and you get old before normal. Look at my grey hair.”

First-round draw from Roland Garros

Seeds in parentheses

Men

(1) R Federer (Switz) v S Querrey (US); A Montañés (Sp) v K Vliegen (Bel); V Crivoi (Rom) v D Marrero (Cro); M Ancic (Cro) v A Seppi (It) (31); (20) I Karlovic (Cro) v A Falla (Col); J Benneteau (Fr) v V Spadea (US); M Zverev (Ger) v P Capdeville (Chile); R Söderling (Swe) v (13) J Mónaco (Arg); (9) S Wawrinka (Switz) v P Kohlschreiber (Ger); M Cilic (Cro) v R Haase (Neth); P Andujar (Sp) v F Volandri (It); P Cuevas (Uru) v (24) F González (Chile); (27) I Andreev (Russ) v P Starace (It); D Young (US) v R Ginepri (US); D Sela (Isr) v V Hanescu (Rom); F Serra (Fr) v (8) R Gasquet (Fr); (4) N Davydenko (Russ) v T Johansson (Swe); J-R Lisnard (Mon) v M Safin (Russ); D Junqueira (Arg) v A Mannarino (Fr); E Prodon (Fr) v (28) I Ljubicic (Cro); (23) J C Ferrero (Sp) v M Daniel (Br); J Melzer (Austria) v P Luczak (Aus); G Monfils (Fr) v A Clément (Fr); S Jenkins (US) v (14) J-W Tsonga (Fr); (12) T Robredo (Sp) v G Coria (Arg); V Troicki (Serbia) v M Gicquel (Fr); J H Galung (Neth) v J Vanek (Cz); G Simon (Fr) v (21) R Stepanek (Cz); (25) L Hewitt (Aus) v N Mahut (Fr); A Calleri (Arg) v M Fish (US); F Santoro (Fr) v F Mayer (Ger); S Darcis (Bel) v (5) D Ferrer (Sp); (7) J Blake (US) v R Schüttler (Ger); S Greul (Ger) v E Gulbis (Lat); T Ascione (Fr) v B Reynolds (US); N Lapentti (Ec) v (32) J Tipsarevic (Serbia); (17) M Baghdatis (Cyp) v S Bolelli (It); F Fognini (It) v J M Del Potro (Arg); M Llodra (Fr) v O Patience (Fr); R Smeets (Aus) v (11) T Berdych (Cz); (16) C Moyà (Sp) v E Schwank (Arg); M Granollers-Pujol (Sp) v M Berrer (Ger); O Hernández (Sp) v I Minar (Cz); G Kuerten (Br) v (18) P-H Mathieu (Fr); (29) G Cañas (Arg) v W Odesnik (US); J Björkman (Swe) v Lee Hyung Taik (S Kor); F Dancevic (Can) v M Á López Jaen (Sp); D Gremelmayr (Ger) v (3) N Djokovic (Serbia); (6) D Nalbandian (Arg) v C Berlocq (Arg); J Chardy (Fr) v F Gil (Por); G García-López (Sp) v S Roitman (Arg); D Brands (Ger) v (30) D Tursunov (Russ); (19) N Almagro (Sp) v B Pashanski (Serbia); S Decoud (Arg) v O Rochus (Bel); D Hrbaty (Slovakia) v J Acasuso (Arg); J Eysseric (Fr) v (10) A Murray (GB); (15) M Youzhny (Russ) v B Becker (Ger); M González (Arg) v R Karanusic (Cro); J Isner (US) v J I Chela (Arg); S Ventura (Sp) v (22) F Verdasco (Sp); (26) J Nieminen (Fin) v N Kiefer (Ger); M Vassallo Argüello (Arg) v F López (Sp); C Guccione (Aus) v N Devilder (Fr); T Belluci (Br) v (2) R Nadal (Sp).

Women

(1) M Sharapova (Russ) v E Rodina (Russ); B Mattek (US) v M Brengle (US); J Gajdosova (Slovakia) v O Sanchez (Fr); M Müller (Ger) v (32) K Knapp (It); (21) M Kirilenko (Russ) v M E Camerin (It); Zheng Jie (China) v M Santangelo (It); M Rybarikova (Slovakia) v K Sprem (Cro); K Bondarenko (Ukr) v (13) D Safina (Russ); (11) V Zvonareva (Russ) v S Foretz (Fr); I R Olaru (Rom) v S Cohen-Aloro (Fr); Y Wickmayer (Bel) v A Amanmuradova (Uzb); A Wozniak (Can) v (20) S Bammer (Austria); (31) A Sugiyama (Japan) v A Kudryavtseva (Russ); O Govortsova (Bela) v Y Fedak (Ukr); M Domachowska (Pol) v R De Los Rios (Par); V Dushevina (Russ) v (7) E Dementieva (Russ); (4) S Kuznetsova (Russ) v A Nakamura (Japan); V King (US) v V Huck (Fr); A Kleybanova (Russ) v T Tanasugarn (Thai); A Rezai (Fr) v (25) N Petrova (Russ); (18) F Schiavone (It) v J Craybas (US); S Mamic (Cro) v M Krajicek (Neth); S-M Cirstea (Rom) v A Kremer (Lux); E Gallovits (Rom) v (16) V Azarenka (Bela); (12) A Szavay (Hun) v A Morita (Japan); S Lisicki (Ger) v E Vesnina (Russ); P Kvitova (Cz) v A Morigami (Japan); S Stosur (Aus) v (17) S Peer (Isr); (29) A M Garrigues (Sp) v M J Martínez Sánchez (Sp); Chan Yung Jan (Taiwan) v T Pironkova (Bul); K Kanepi (Est) v Yuan Meng (China); N L Vives (Sp) v (6) A Chakvetadze (Russ); (8) V Williams (US) v T Obziler (Isr); S Dubois (Can) v S Sfar (Tun); A Pavlyuchenkova (Russ) v M E Salerni (Arg); T Perebiynis (Ukr) v (26) F Pennetta (It); (22) A Mauresmo (Fr) v O Savchuk (Ukr); C Suárez Navarro (Sp) v P Parmentier (Fr); J Ditty (US) v N Dechy (Fr); C Dellacqua (Aus) v (9) M Bartoli (Fr); (14) A Radwanska (Pol) v M Koryttseva (Ukr); S Bremond (Fr) v J Pandzic (Cro); S Errani (It) v G Dulko (Arg); J Vakulenko (Ukr) v (19) A Cornet (Fr); (28) D Cibulkova (Slovakia) v A Kerber (Ger); M Sequera (Ven) v L Osterloh (US); T Garbin (It) v M Erakovic (NZ); M Niculescu (Rom) v (3) J Jankovic (Serbia); (5) S Williams (US) v A Harkleroad (US); M Johansson (Fr) v C Pin (Fr); E Makarova (Russ) v C Castaño (Col); V R Pascual (Sp) v (27) K Srebotnik (Slovenia); (24) V Razzano (Fr) v K Zakopalova (Cz); Yan Zi (China) v E Loit (Fr); T Paszek (Austria) v T Bacsinszky (Switz); E Bychkova (Russ) v (10) P Schnyder (Switz); (15) N Vaidisova (Cz) v I Benesova (Cz); A Rodionova (Russ) v Peng Shuai (China); G Voskoboeva (Russ) v Y Fedossova (Fr); P Cetkovska (Cz) v (23) A Bondarenko (Ukr); (30) C Wozniacki (Den) v Y Meusburger (Austria); A Yakimova (Bela) v Hsieh Su Wei (Taiwan); S Klösol (Ger) v L Safarova (Cz); S Arvidsson (Swe) v (2) A Ivanovic (Serbia).